UKC

I am going to France to the Vercours in August. I had planned on taking my dog with me. I told my mum this and she seemed to think that there are all sorts of nasty diseases that over there for the dog to pick up and that I would be better leaving the dog with her.

Now I am doubting if I should take her or if my mum was just scare mongering.

Is it a good idea?

In reply to Baron Weasel:

Chat to your vet but we have never had an issue, you'll need a passport for the dog and up to date flea, tick, worm and rabies injections. Also need micro chipping.

Research vets local to your point of exit as well as you'll need to visit them about 24hrs before you leave.

Brittany ferries have useful info on the process.

In reply to Baron Weasel:

I live in the Vercors, and have a dog - there's nothing out of the ordinary to be worried about.

So long as she's had all her jabs and is wormed, the biggest risks will be watching out for vipers and wild boar, heat and traffic.

Remember that when taking a dog back to the UK they need to be wormed within a couple of days window (I forget exactly how many) - meaning you might need to do it in France (and get a cert from the vet). Some tourists were here during the ski season and fell foul of that but luckily we have a great English speaking vet in the village who did it for them.

In reply to yorkshireman:

You will need to do it France and get the passport stamped before you leave. Don't try doing it yourself, stamp needed, even for qualified UK vets!

Also get the most up to date info on the time frames from your vet, they have chopped and changed them a few times as well as adding/remove certain requirements so get the most up to date info to avoid a headache.

Have only used Brittany Ferries to travel to France but very happy with them, let you see the dog in the car and very friendly to the dog at check in.

In reply to Pepper:


Definitely - should have been clearer when I mentioned it needed officially stamping by the vet. When we took our dog to the UK it was no big deal because we just did it a couple of days before we left, but if you're in France longer than the window, you need it doing in France.

https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/tapeworm-treatment-dogs

Seems that its 1-5 days now so depending on where the OP is staying, try to find a vet/make an appointment for when you leave France.

The good news is that vet fees here are very cheap compared to the UK.

In reply to Baron Weasel:

Update: you need to get rabies done 3 weeks before the date you intend to return to the UK (so if you are coming on the 21st get vac's done before the first) and you need to see the French vet between 24 and 120 hours before you return.

Please double check with your own vet as well though.

In reply to yorkshireman:

Sorry for the cross post

In reply to Baron Weasel:

The paperwork is a doddle these days, now that there's no requirement for blood testing to prove that the rabies jab has taken. Basically, you need a microchip and a single rabies shot, and three weeks later you're ready to go. As others have mentioned, between 1 and 5 days prior to return, pop and see a French vet for a tablet, and all's good.

One thing I would suggest is a scalibor anti-tick collar. They're not expensive, you're likely to be going through tick country at a time of at least moderate risk, and dogs are similarly prone to tick-borne diseases as are people. It would also be useful to grab an o'tom hook before you go, and go over the dog once a day. Talk to your vet about lungworm and Giardia (from wet ground and streams), which are probably as high a risk at home as in the Vercors, but there's not much going on out there that s/he wouldn't be exposed to at home.

Hope this helps

Martin (vet)

In reply to Baron Weasel:

Lots of French people have dogs. Don't panic!

Thanks for the replies, I think I just needed reassurance... I mean, of course the French have dogs, when I visited Northern France 20 years ago the streets were covered in dog sh!te.

In reply to Baron Weasel:

The most important point is to realise that the treatment before return to the UK needs to he done in a time window BEFORE departure, not ARRIVING in the UK. We went to Portugal with our dog a few years ago and assumed that getting him treated at a vets in Santander an hour or so before boarding would be ok. The window (then) was 24hrs to three days before. As the crossing is 23 hours we thought that it would be fine. Luckily we were chatting to someone on our way out who told us that many people make this error! And that there is a thriving business in dog boarding and onward transportation in.Santander!

In reply to BigHairyIan:

Gov.uk website states "The [tapeworm] treatment must be given between 1 and 5 days (24 to 120 hours) before you’re scheduled to arrive in the UK."